How do you Build Excitement for Something Everyone Dreads?
The Opportunity
Fresh air, flowers, and the warm sun: change is exciting…when we are talking about seasons. Organizational change tends to have the opposite effect. A life sciences organization initiated big changes and had something exciting to say about them; however, they were concerned that the excitement would be undermined by the concern employees may have about the impact of the changes.
The Effort
Cue change management. Instead of hiding behind shallow platitudes and corporate-speak, a plan was created that put the concerns and interests of employees and leaders first and the message second. When engaged and communicated to like respected people, the employees were able to better understand the changes, see the opportunities, and seize the moment to be part of the change.
A Kaleidoscope Perspective
For many transformations, whether big or small, change management is relegated to a single bar of activity along the bottom of a project plan. But the fact is: everything is change management. From the project kick-off through formal communications and trainings, to informal water-cooler discussions and conversations. Change is managed daily at the individual level. Leaders and teams who recognize this and are equipped to consistently lead change are able to make it stick and minimize the pain.